Hibernating

Have I told you that before I was married my idea of the perfect winter Saturday was to spend all day in bed reading, snoozing and listening to fun 70s music on 3MP? I would exert myself only as much as a trip to the kitchen for provisions would require before leaping back under the covers for more luxuriating. Bliss.

Those were the days. My husband does not think that this is a good way to spend the weekend. He did try it a few times just after we were first married and were still in LURVE...not that we're not still in love, but you've gotta admit that the first year is...well...different. Anyhow, he was bored. He needed entertaining. It was not fun for him or for me.

Today my Beloved is at a conference and I am hibernating with our daughter. We are not in bed, but we are snuggling together under mohair rugs on the sofa in front of the heater. We both wish we had an open fire in our Melbourne home, but the gas heater is certainly cozy and conducive to huggling, and so we don't mind too much. I am drinking coffee; Jemimah has opted for hot chocolate from a suckao thingy. It is milk chocolate too, from Max Brenner, and I am considering joining her. I think she might have made the better choice.

We are reading. Jemimah is re-reading Winnie the Pooh. She says that it is better at eight than it was at five. My book is Childish Things by Robin Jenkins. I always enjoy the writings of this terrific Scottish author, and this book, written when Jenkins was 90 years old, is certainly shaping up to be un-put-away-able. Just to coin a pun on its name. I think that 72 year old Gregor McLeod might just turn out to be a very naughty boy... I'm loving his use of the occasional Scots word as well. Later I have the new edition of donna hay magazine to flip through. Or perhaps I might crochet a square or two of my rug. Maybe.


We are listening to my new CD, the classical soundtrack from Departures by Joe Hisaishi, the same composer who has worked on numerous Hiyao Miyazaki films. You can listen to some of it with us if you like. So peaceful.

Maybe I should at least have a shower. Do you think you can still hibernate effectively in clothes? Perhaps my velvet tracksuit would be okay. Aren't they called leisure suits? Jemimah thinks a bubble bath would work for her. A fine choice, I must say.

Later, but not much later we will eat. Toast, I think. "Nutella!" declares Jemimah. I do declare that that girl can never get enough chocolate. I fancy Rose's Lime Marmalade. It is very important indeed to stave off scurvy on days like this.

Tonight we will he heading out for dinner and a glass of bubbles at Café Vic before settling back to luxuriate in Peggy! a tribute to the founding artistic director of the Australian Ballet, Peggy van Praagh. I know we were only at the ballet a fornight ago. Can you really overdose on ballet?

But that is later. Right now we are doing nothing. It is such a delightful, peaceful nothing.

I'm so glad that our daughter inherited the hibernating gene.

Did you?